Man sentenced to death in China milk scandal

Shijiazhuang (China), Jan 22 (Xinhua) Zhang Yujun, who produced and sold melamine-laced “protein powder” in China’s tainted milk scandal, was convicted for endangering public security and sentenced to death by a court Thursday.He became the first person to be given the death penalty as the Shijiazhuang Intermediate People’s Court began pronouncing sentences for 21 defendants implicated in the scandal.

The court also sentenced Zhang Yanzhang, who bought the protein powder from Zhang Yujun and resold them, to life in prison.

The prosecution last month said that Zhang Yujun, a native of Quzhou County, Hebei, had raised cattle since July 2007 and concocted the so-called protein powder by mixing the chemical melamine and malt starch.

The cattle farmer allegedly produced 775.6 tonnes of “protein powder” that contained melamine from October 2007 through August 2008 and sold more than 600 tonnes with a total value of 6.83 million yuan ($999,000).

Zhang Yanzhang, who hails from the same county as Zhang Yujun, bought the protein powder and resold 230 tonnes.